LisaSafe automates instrument tracking

Well-known Melbourne Periodontist, Dr Gary Yip, places a high priority on infection control as a result of the daily surgical procedures in his busy Balwyn practice.

Not surprisingly, Dr Yip was one of the first practitioners in Australia to adopt the LisaSafe instrument traceability system to track sterilized instruments.

LisaSafe connects directly to a Lisa 500 sterilizer and automatically prints the required number of labels at the end of a sterilization cycle. Labels are only printed if the cycle has been successfully completed.

The compact printer sits alongside the sterilizer and the self-adhesive labels are peeled and placed onto each pouch as it is unloaded from the sterilizer. The information on each label is scanned into the computer with the aid of a small hand-held barcode scanner.

Once the instruments go into the surgery and are about to be used in a procedure, the pouch information is again scanned into the patient's record in Dr Yip's Oasis practice management software system so that the instruments used for each patient and procedure can be traced back to a successful cycle from a particular autoclave.

The surgery has two Lisa 500 sterilizers to maintain a ready supply of sterilized instruments for the four surgeries, each equipped with the latest A-dec 500 dental units.

Two of the dental units have been specially customised to suit the way Dr Yip works. Because of the complex surgical procedures routinely carried out at the practice, infection control is the highest priority.

Modifications include high and low speed suction and an additional chair-mounted shelf with an internal power cord for his external implant motor.

A feature of the A-dec 500 chair is the ability to have total control of handpieces and scalers from the Deluxe electronic touchpad, including the ability to control endondontic instruments.

Dr Yip chose A-dec 500 'continental' style delivery units as the smooth control head is easy to drape and is easy to clean. There is also no risk of dropping dental handpieces on the floor because of the elevated delivery cords.

Dr Yip said the fully equipped surgeries allowed him and his team to work efficiently with confidence that the equipment has been well-maintained and supported by the most professional team in Melbourne.

"I'm grateful for the input and assistance from Bruce Williams of A-dec and Independent Dental Supplies in setting up this practice the way I wanted it," Dr Yip said.

The 1960's building was a specialist medical centre and has been completely re-designed as a periodontic surgery by Dental Concepts of Adelaide. The new design not only offers an efficient working environment for the staff but also a welcoming feeling to the patients.